Was he great?

What can you discover about Alfred the Great? What are his notable dates? What’s his story? Do agree that he was a great king? You might want to begin your research here and then share what you’ve found out.

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20 thoughts on “Was he great?”

His father was king of Wessex, but by the end of Alfred’s reign his coins referred to him as ‘king of the English’.
He fought the Vikings and then made peace so that English and Vikings settled down to live together. He encouraged people to learn and he tried to govern well and fairly.

One story says that Alfred went to Rome at the age of four to meet the Pope. When he came home, his mother promised a book of English poetry to the first of her sons who could read it to her. With the help of his tutor, Alfred memorised the book so he could recite it by heart and won.
Later in his life the young King Alfred had to hide from the Vikings on a marshy island called Athelney, in Somerset. A famous story tells how, while sheltering in a cowherd’s hut, the king got a telling-off from the cowherd’s wife. Why? He accidently let her cakes (or bread) burn on the fire when he forgot to watch them.

Alfred’s father was the king of Wessex, by the end of his rein he had his own coin.In the end he decided that he should make peace with the Vikings and settle it out by letting the vikings have one side of England so he could have the other side – he called that side Danelaw. He built schools and Monastries so people could have more education.Alfred was the only ruler who was named the great.

hello, Mrs Larkin I know that king Alfred was called the great because he was the only Anglo Saxon king to make peace with the Vikings and allowed them to have the top half of England .King Alfred the Great was born in 849 AD and he died in the year 899 AD. Although he made peace with the Vikings, he did not fully trust the Vikings to stay on their side of the Country so he rearmed his country by rebuilding his army building forts and used them as look outs for the Vikings and over invaders. Also, he built schools and monasteries as he knew that education and he even translated some of the writing from Latin into English. He is not the selfish king you would expect him to be as he grew up as a prince and was not very likely to be king as he had 4 older brothers

Alfred was born in AD849 and died in AD899. His father was king of Wessex but Alfred became king of all England. He fought the Vikings and then made peace so that English and Vikings settled down to live together.

king Alfred was born in 849-899 AD and ruled at 871. He was the ruler of Wessex and succeeded by his bother Edward. All together he had 4 brothers. He was born in Wantage and died at Winchester.

One story says Alfred went to Rome at the age of 4, to meet the Pope. When he came home, his mother promised a handsome book to the first of her sons who could read it to her. Alfred learned it by heart, recited it, and got the book.

Later the young King Alfred had to hide from the Vikings, on a marshy island called Athelney in Somerset. A famous story tells how while sheltering in a cowherd’s hut, the king got a telling-off from the man’s wife. Why? He let her cakes (or bread) burn. Another story says Alfred went into the Viking camp disguised as a minstrel, to find out what the Vikings were planning.

Alfred was born in 849 at the royal palace in Wantage. He became king in 871 and died in 899.
He had four older brothers who all ruled as king before he did.
As a boy of four he accompanied his father Aethelwulf on a pilgrimage to Rome.
By 870 Northumberland, East Anglia and Mercia has all fallen to the Vikings. Wessex was the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom to hold out against the Vikings.
In 870 Alfred and his brother Aethelred fought nine battles against the Vikings.
In 879 Alfred won a decisive victory against the Vikings at Edington.
After defeating Guthrum the Dane, Alfred made him convert to Christianity and then adopted Guthrum as his foster son.
In 886 he recaptured London and set about renovating the city.
Alfred’s fortified towns or burhs formed the basis of the English system of boroughs and shires.
Alfred believed that all free born English boys should receive an education and he set up a school at his court to educate his sons, as well as those of the nobles and others of lesser birth.

Alfred was the first English king to write books.
He was illiterate (couldn’t read or write) until he was 12.
Alfred instructed Bishop Asser to write his biography. The writing of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles commenced during his reign.
There are many legends about King Alfred. The most famous recounts that when he was hiding from the Vikings in the Somerset Levels an old woman asked Alfred to watch her cakes baking but he was distracted and the cakes got burned. The old woman, who did not recognise Alfred as the king, scolded him for his carelessness!
Another legend has Alfred disguising himself as a minstrel or travelling player to gain entrance to the Danish camp and overhear their battle plans.
In a 2002 BBC poll Alfred was voted 14th Greatest Briton of all time.

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